


A Happiest Season of Our Own

by jedusaur



Category: Happiest Season (2020)
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas, Christmas Sweaters, Corgis, Drag Queens, F/F, Fix-It, Found Family, gays can't sit properly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedusaur/pseuds/jedusaur
Summary: John claps his hands together. "Okay, so! Queer family, we are gathered here today to celebrate Christmas our way, without pressure or shitty people or five kinds of fancy bar soap we'll never use. We're gonna keep the stuff we like about Christmas, flush everything else, and make up our own traditions. My top requirement is festive alcohol and we're good on that, thank you Abby. What else is everyone in the mood for?""Drag show," says Riley immediately. She flashes a grin at Abby. "Remember?"Abby's stomach flips. God, she's pretty when she smiles.
Relationships: Abby Holland/Riley Johnson
Comments: 15
Kudos: 328





	A Happiest Season of Our Own

"We're reclaiming Christmas," announces John. "Like the word 'queer.' It may have been used to hurt us in the past, but now it's ours and no one gets to tell us to feel bad about it. Now get your ass over here or I'll start mulling the wine myself, and believe me when I tell you I have _no_ idea which spices to use."

Abby sighs. "I don't know. Maybe it's time to give up on Christmas. It just never works out for me, you know?" She scratches the corgi she's petsitting. He looks a little lethargic. She hopes he's not sick.

"Coriander," says John. "Cumin. Pink Himalayan rock salt. _Try me._ "

Abby rolls her eyes. "Fine," she says. "But I'm bringing Sneakers."

*

Jane answers the door with a big smile and half of a hug before she registers the presence of the corgi, after which point Abby is entirely irrelevant to her interests. Abby leaves them to get acquainted and finds John in the kitchen, listening to Mariah Carey and stirring a pot. "I haven't contaminated it," he reassures her. "Just getting a head start. Here, I made hot wine, what now?"

"I got it." Abby opens the spice cupboard to poke around. She's not all that much of a cook, but three Christmases with Harper taught her a thing or two about cloves. "Do you have any fruit?"

John points to a dish containing grapefruit and bananas. Not ideal. Abby checks the fridge and comes up with a bottle of Pom. She bobs her shoulders a little to the music on the way back to the stove. Maybe this Christmas won't completely suck.

She's getting out mugs when there's a knock on the door, because of course John invited other people without telling her. Abby focuses on pouring while he goes to answer it. She's not really feeling up to being social. She can hear Jane enthusiastically greeting whoever it is, and Sneakers excitedly jingling around. At least the dog seems to be doing okay.

"She's in the kitchen drowning her sorrows," she can hear John saying, and then the new guest comes around the corner and Abby drops the ladle into the pot.

"Riley!" Abby opens her arms for a hug. "Oh my god, I didn't know you'd be here!" Riley is one of those people Abby's always kind of wanted to be better friends with, but it always seemed to make Harper uncomfortable. It's an unexpected relief to see her without having to worry about that.

Riley hugs back warmly. "I wasn't sure if it would be weird for you, but John was pretty confident you'd be okay with it."

"Totally!" Abby gives her another squeeze and steps back. "Wait, but isn't the white elephant party happening tonight? I thought your family went every year."

Riley shrugs. "I decided I didn't want to. And speaking of elephants, as in the one in the room, I'd be down for commiseration bonding or we can not talk about it, totally up to you."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Abby grabs an extra mug for her. "Help me carry these out?"

Sneakers is in Jane's lap on the couch, both of them looking deliriously happy, and John is grumpily picking dog hair off the cushion next to them. Abby takes a sip of her wine as she sets John's down next to him. "It's not that great," she warns. "I'm new at this."

"It'll get better after it's had some time to sit," says Jane. "Mom mulls it for hours before she lets anyone taste it." She turns to John. "Was that breaking the rule? Is it the whole family or just Harper we're not talking about?"

Abby plops down on the loveseat and kicks her socked feet up on the coffee table. "Guys, it's okay, really. Harper was a huge part of my life for a long time, and Christmas was always her thing. I can't promise I won't get maudlin after I've had some wine, but I'm not going to just pretend she never existed."

Riley sits down on the floor and leans back against the front of an armchair across the coffee table from Abby. She doesn't say anything, but something about her face makes Abby feel like she gets it.

John claps his hands together. "Okay, so! Queer family, we are gathered here today to celebrate Christmas our way, without pressure or shitty people or five kinds of fancy bar soap we'll never use. We're gonna keep the stuff we like about Christmas, flush everything else, and make up our own traditions. My top requirement is festive alcohol and we're good on that, thank you Abby. What else is everyone in the mood for?"

"Drag show," says Riley immediately. She flashes a grin at Abby. "Remember?"

Abby's stomach flips. God, she's pretty when she smiles. "Of course," she says. "That was so much fun. I don't want to go out and leave Sneakers alone, though, he seemed like he wasn't feeling good earlier."

"I guarantee you RuPaul has got us covered," says John, rummaging for the remote.

"Can we do Christmas sweaters?" asks Jane. "And not call them ugly? Cheesy sweaters, I think cheesy is better. Also, in case anyone was wondering why I get to be part of queer Christmas, I'm pansexual and aromantic and even though I've never had sex with a woman my queerness is valid."

Abby actually was kind of wondering, but she wasn't about to gatekeep anyone. She's had enough of people judging other people's sexual identities for a lifetime. "Absolutely valid," she agrees. "I'm down for sweaters, but maybe next year? I don't think anyplace is open."

"I'll get mine!" Jane chirps, and vanishes down the hall with her loyal new best friend on her heels. John has gotten a Christmas drag competition pulled up on the TV by the time she returns with an armful of sweaters, which she dumps on the coffee table. "In case anyone else wants to borrow one," she says, so hopefully that Abby can't help picking out a reindeer-themed one with little red puffballs for the noses. Riley takes a sparkly tinsel one, and John tosses a candy-cane-striped one around his shoulders.

John and Jane get really into the drag show, analyzing the outfits and cheering for their favorites. Abby sinks down into the cushions, watching them holler and sipping her wine, which really isn't too bad. Riley is pretty quiet, but she's smiling a lot, and every time she makes eye contact with Abby it feels like a little extra jolt of cozy warmth. Abby's glad she let John talk her into this. It's really nice.

She shuffles into the kitchen to refill her mug. Riley follows her, setting her own mug on the counter and hopping up to sit next to it. "So," she says. "I got my drag show, Jane got her sweaters, John got his booze. What kind of Christmas traditions do you like?"

Abby picks up Riley's mug and refills it along with her own. "I like the drag show too," she says. She puts both mugs on the counter next to Riley. "It was really great to go to that one with you, when I was all stressed out and sad. I mean, I don't want to get into all that right now, just... it meant a lot."

She feels like she might be standing too much in Riley's space, but then Riley leans forward. "It meant a lot to me, too. I wasn't having as shitty a day as you were, but it's still rough to go back there and be around people like that. It was good to let my hair down. And meeting you was definitely the highlight of that Christmas for me."

"Yeah?" Abby smiles at her, not quite sure that was what it sounded like.

Riley slides down off the counter, bringing them even closer together. "You know what Christmas tradition I could be down for right now?" she murmurs. "Mistletoe."

Abby wraps a hand around the back of Riley's neck to draw her in for a kiss. Riley is soft and warm and confident, slipping her arms around Abby's waist. The tinsel trimming on the neck of her sweater is tickling Abby's wrist, but she barely notices, too wrapped up in the heat of Riley.

"NO!" squawks John. Abby almost jerks away, but then he yells, "Latrice was _robbed!_ " and she leans against Riley's forehead, laughing.

"Let's go make him rewind it so we can see the end," Riley suggests.

In the living room, Jane is winding a piece of tinsel around an adoring Sneakers' collar while John rants about the competition. Abby sits back down in her spot on the loveseat and glances questioningly at Riley, who smiles and comes over to sit down next to her.

"I'm starving," Jane interrupts John's diatribe. "Is Taco Bell open?"

Amid the spirited debate that breaks out over which fast food joint should become their traditional Christmas Eve dinner, Riley's hand bumps against Abby's. Tentatively, Abby presses back against it, and their fingers gently interlace.

Abby takes a sip of her wine. It really is a lot better after some time.


End file.
